Cloak And Dagger
by dorenamryn
Summary: In which everything changes, but also nothing does. (aka: the one where Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi Knight pretending to be a Sith, Emperor Palpatine thinks he's won, Obi-Wan Kenobi thinks his brother's betrayed him, and Leia Organa is stuck in the middle of it.)
1. from a certain point of view

**FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW**

In which Mustafar happens, yet some things are irrevocably changed:

1\. Anakin Skywalker doesn't Fall.  
2\. Obi-Wan Kenobi doesn't know that.

And so, the Empire rises still, and Darth Vader stands at the head of the Imperial Army, but Anakin Skywalker lives, and that is the most important part. While he lives, the Rebel Alliance will always be a step ahead. While he lives, there's hope.

* * *

Anakin Skywalker breathed, the hot, poisonous air burning his insides. Padmé Amidala stood in front of him, her cheeks shining bright with tears. He gazed at her, and it was as if his lungs were being slowly squeezed, ridding him of breath.

"You don't have to do this, Ani," she pleaded. "Come away with me, leave all this behind while you still can!"

"You don't understand, Padmé," Anakin replied, his expression like steel. "I don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice," she whispered. "Please…"

Obi-Wan stood in the entrance of the space skiff.

"You brought him here with you," Anakin said, his voice almost at a shout, his mind a maelstrom of _I have to do this, it's the only way_.

"No!" Padmé exclaimed upon spotting Obi-Wan. "Anakin— No, I love you!"

"Liar!" he yelled, summoning his anger, his heart sinking with despair, a single thought spoken in his mind; _I'm sorry, Padmé._

The Force-shove was enough to render her senseless.

Anakin Skywalker stood tall in front of Obi-Wan Kenobi. His heart was breaking. He was barely holding himself together, but he stood tall in front of Obi-Wan Kenobi because it was his duty, and everything was resting on what happened right then and there.

Padmé Amidala's unconscious body lay between them.

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood in front of him, and Anakin was trying his hardest to keep up the act.

"You turned her against me," he said, his voice sharp, the tears in his eyes rising, unbidden.

"You have done that yourself, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied.

"You will not take her from me."

Anakin let his cloak drop and his hand grasped the lightsaber that had before hung from his belt.

"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that."

Obi-Wan's own cloak fell to the ground as he held his lightsaber in his hand. Anakin closed his eyes, reminding himself that what came next had to happen.

"You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now," Obi-Wan continued, the tone of his voice almost breaking Anakin right then, "…Until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."

Obi-Wan placed his hand on Padmé and Anakin made sure to sear the memory of his two friends into his mind for only Force knows when he would see them again as Anakin Skywalker. His outside demeanour, however, remained unchanged.

"Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do," Anakin said, his voice hard, his mind screaming _lies, lies, lies,_ and then, _duty._ "I have brought peace, justice, freedom, and security to my new Empire."

"Your new Empire?"

"Don't make me kill you."

"Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic... to democracy!" Obi-Wan said, his voice strained, his eyes widening slightly with horror.

"If you're not with me," Anakin stated, ignoring the tight feeling clawing away at his heart, "then you're my enemy."

"Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes," Obi-Wan replied, his voice sighing with tired resignation. "I will do what I must."

Anakin wanted to drop the pretence and wrap his arms around his friend because he just wanted everything to be over, but no, he couldn't do that because he had a duty to the Jedi, to democracy, to the galaxy. He had a duty to fulfill, so instead, Anakin donned the mask of Darth Vader, and said three words that forever sealed his path.

"You will try."

And so, the battle had begun. Anakin and Obi-Wan (no, Obi-Wan and Darth Vader) struck blow upon blow against each other (with each blow, Anakin's heart broke a little bit more). Obi-Wan's eyes were filled with determination, disbelief, hurt, and a never-ending torrent of _how could you do this?_ and it was all Anakin could do to keep up his act, of Darth Vader, of a cold, unfeeling Sith, but he oh-so-badly wanted to be done with these lies, though he knew he could not, so he charged forward and used his guilt to strike blow upon blow onto Obi-Wan's blade.

Somehow, they ended up on a lava river, and when they did, the Force screamed. Anakin knew now that this was the last time he would see Obi-Wan in the many years to come.

"I have failed you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, floating a few metres ahead of him. "I have failed you."

"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over," Anakin yelled in response over the sound of the lava flowing steadily below them. Obi-Wan looked stricken.

"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!" He shouted, and right then, Anakin could see the torturous grief in his Master's eyes.

"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" Anakin roared back, his heart wrenching painfully.

"Then you are lost!" Obi-Wan practically screamed, and Anakin could almost make out the tears in his eyes, glinting in the light from the river of fire. Anakin struck down his growing guilt, instead telling himself yet again that this had to be done.

"This is the end for you, my master," Anakin said finally, the words like poison in his mouth. He leaped over Obi-Wan and brought his lightsaber down onto his master's, effectively locking their blades. _Please, Obi-Wan, end it_.

As if hearing Anakin's unsaid prayer, Obi-Wan jumped to the bank, his boots almost falling through the dark sand.

"It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground," said Obi-Wan, his eyes desperate.

"You underestimate my power," Anakin responded, his voice adorned with an icy edge, his tears overflowing, the Force a storm around him.

"Don't try it," warned Obi-Wan. Anakin took a deep breath.

Time stopped.

Anakin Skywalker jumped.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber swung.

Anakin twisted out of the way while in midair, avoiding the blade and landing in a roll.

Suddenly, the platform from which Anakin jumped gave in to the heat, and with a loud bang, exploded.

"Argh!"

A large piece of shrapnel buried itself into Anakin Skywalker's back and he fell down into the sand, thankfully not close enough to the lava to be in any danger of burning. His lightsaber was still clutched in his right hand. The harsh sand beneath him burned, and Anakin grit his teeth.

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood above.

"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!" He screamed at his friend (no, his _brother_ ). "Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"

"I hate you!" Anakin yelled from the ground, not really meaning it, more focused on the Force and the pain of the shrapnel buried in his back.

"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you."

Anakin pulled the Force around him.

It was time for his most elaborate trick.

It was said that long ago, some Force-users could bend the Force to their will and project images onto the minds of others, show something happening when it actually wasn't.

And so, Anakin Skywalker gathered his strength and concentration. The shrapnel in his back hurt like hell, his lungs burned and he almost couldn't breathe, but he continued, for everything was counting on this moment _right here_.

Anakin closed his eyes and the took the storm the Force was brewing around him, willed it to seem like his robes had caught fire and screamed, a heart-wrenching, painful sound, and it was only a half-pretence, for right then he felt like he was being split in half and his entire body felt like it was burning even though it wasn't, and yet he had to do this _for it was his duty_. The imaginary smoke burnt his nostrils, and through the haze of the non-existant flames, he could see Obi-Wan Kenobi as he walked away. Anakin continued to scream, yet Obi-Wan's words echoed in his head.

 _"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you."_

The words pierced his heart, cut at his mind. The bond between them had been severed, the reality of it bringing Anakin's mind even more pain. He'd never felt so alone, but there was no going back. Anakin let his screams die down as Obi-Wan's form vanished over the ridge and finally let his mind settle.

 _I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I'm so sorry._

Then, Anakin Skywalker, his breaths heavy and ragged, took out a small black comm from an inside pocket in his robes and dialed.

"The mission— Was a— success… Master… Yoda," choked out Anakin, biting back a scream. "I'm in."

The small projection of Yoda nodded his head. "Coming, Obi-Wan is, with your wife. Pain in the Force, I feel. Hurt, are you?"

"Ahh— I'm, okay," Anakin said with difficulty (oh boy was that thing in his back a _bitch_ ). "I'll be… fine. And… Ahsoka? Have you— reached her?"

"Received the message, your former Padawan has, and help, she will. Done a great deed for the galaxy, you have," Master Yoda replied. "Await your information, we will."

"Th—Thank you… Master," he gulped. "For— everyth…thing. I will not… fail… you."

And with that, the transmission ended. With great effort, Anakin turned towards the lava below him and chucked the comm. His back was going to need surgery, and the last thing he wanted was for Sidious to find that comm on his self. Anakin grit his teeth and grunted.

For Anakin, the next few hours (or however long it was, he had no idea), were spent lying on the ground and slipping in and out of consciousness, slowly sliding down, his body edging ever closer to the lava river below.

In another world, he would have lain there, a husk of what he used to be, living solely off his anger and hate. In another world, he would be forever trapped in that nightmare of a life-support machine. In another world, he would have been been dead. When his pant leg caught fire, he felt like he was going to die, but his mind screamed; _no you can't die, not now! Not when you're so far in and the entire galaxy is depending on you!_

"Over here!" He heard a voice call out, and as the fire spread up to his already-painful back and side, he found he couldn't even scream. But before it could spread further, the flames were being put out.

"Anakin! Anakin! Here he is. He's still alive. Get a medical capsule, immediately," a familiar voice called. When Anakin opened his tear-filled eyes, the first thing he saw was Palpatine's dark cloak. He was being lifted onto a stretcher. Clone troopers walked alongside him, and if he turned his head, he would not be surprised to find Palpatine there. Anakin closed his eyes. There was no turning back now.

* * *

The asteroid of Polis Massa was not usually a busy place. As of right now, it was. The residential sector was swaddled with people, as ships of Jedi younglings that Anakin had snuck out of the Temple arrived in groups, and kept arriving. Senator Organa's ship had arrived a bit after the first ships from the Temple. The younglings and the other Jedi were relieved to see Master Yoda alive, so when they caught wind of his arrival, they flocked the little green alien. Said little green alien was currently on a mission, for Obi-Wan had just arrived from Mustafar. The ancient Jedi Master rushed through the medical facility to the room where they had taken Padmé Amidala, according to Bail Organa.

Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Bail stood in the observatory overlooking the operating room. Obi-Wan was pacing, Yoda was pensive, and Bail was stroking his goatee. A droid rolled over from within the operating room.

"Medically, she is completely healthy. For reasons we cannot explain, we are losing her," it said in its monotone electronic voice.

"She's dying?" Obi-Wan exclaimed. Yoda stood to the side, thinking. Anakin would find out. He would find out, and he would not be happy.

"We don't know why. She has lost the will to live," explained the droid. "We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies."

"Babies?" Bail asked, his hand momentarily freezing.

"She's carrying twins," replied the droid.

"Save them, we must. They are our last hope," Yoda stated solemnly. _They are Anakin Skywalker's last hope_.

"I want to go in," Obi-Wan said. "It's the least I can do… And Anakin…"

Obi-Wan trailed off, shaking his head. He followed the droid back into the room, leaving Yoda and Bail in the observatory.

"Did he do it?" Bail asked in a whisper.

"Successful, Anakin was," Yoda replied. "Know, Obi-Wan cannot. Never agree, he would, if knew that sending his former Padawan into the fray, we were."

Bail nodded.

"And what of Padmé?" He questioned quietly. "How is she dying if we made sure that she would get off Mustafar alive?"

"Know that, I do not," Yoda replied, looking back to the operating room where Obi-Wan stood, holding a newborn in his arms. "A stirring in the Dark Side, I feel."

"How about the survivors from the Temple?" Bail said, his voice quiet. "Kenobi is not to discover them if the plan is to succeed."

"A point, you have," responded Yoda, nodding. "Send them into hiding, I will. A few planets I know of, at which safe for a time, they will be. Go now, I shall. The younglings, away they must go."

And with that, the old Jedi Master stood from his seat and silently left the room, leaving Bail to follow him into the hallway.

Obi-Wan stood beside the operating table, his mind a myriad of emotions, despair, sorrow, betrayal, but as he held Anakin's son, his best friend's son, all he thought was; _Anakin should be here_. But, Anakin couldn't be here, for he had chosen his path. The path of the Dark Side. With a pang, Obi-Wan realized that Anakin would never get to see his children grow, and for some odd reason, that made Obi-Wan inexplicably sad. So, while he held Anakin's son in his arms he instead wished that it were Anakin standing in his place.

A second cry rang out.

"It's a girl," came the tinny voice of the medical droid.

"Leia," Padmé whispered. "Her name will be Leia."

Obi-Wan was handed the second infant, and his feeling of sorrow only grew. He knelt down to be closer to Padmé, so that she could see her children at least once.

Padmé's breaths were heavy. It wasn't long now, Obi-Wan knew. She met his eyes.

"Obi-Wan— Anakin… There's good in him," she whispered. "There's… good…"

And then, her head went limp, and her chest ceased its movements.

Padmé Amidala was dead.

* * *

Far away, on Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker lay on the operating table. Droids pulled apart his Jedi robes, discarded his lightsaber and began the surgery to remove the large chunk of shrapnel that had embedded itself deep into Anakin's back. He screamed, his voice raw from all the screaming, because _Force_ , it hurt. His lungs were on fire, as was every other part of his body. He writhed as the restraints chaffed his skin and the droids continued tearing through his flesh, and oh why in the seven hells did Palpatine not know what anesthetics were?

It lasted for hours on end, the screaming, the pain, the endless torture for Anakin as he tried to free himself, but no, it wouldn't end… It kept on going, the sounds of the droids moving around the room, doing everything except delivering painkillers, and soon it became too much, and thankfully, Anakin finally passed out.

He woke up in a hospital bed. A faint beeping noise could be heard from one machine or another, for _holy hell_ there were a lot of machines. Anakin immediately ripped the breathing mask off his face.

"Perhaps it is best to leave that on," said a voice. "You are still recovering, are you not?"

Anakin shook his head and finally noticed Palpatine sitting on a chair at his right. Looking at the man who was now supposed to be his Master, Anakin suddenly felt sick. And he also felt as if something was very, very wrong.

"Where is Padmé?" He rasped, surprised at how weak his own voice sounded. "Is she alright?"

The sinking feeling only grew the longer Palpatine waited to answer.

"It seems," Sidious said, "in your anger, you killed her."

And with those three words, Anakin finally broke down. His mind was a sandstorm, the winds moving the grains of sands at such high speeds it was enough to flay the flesh off a person, leaving nothing but bones behind. She was dead. His child was dead. He clutched his head while his heart drowned in his sorrow, the Dark itching to sink its teeth into his body, but somewhere deep in his mind he repeated his mantra; _my name is Anakin Skywalker, I am a Jedi Knight. My name is Anakin Skywalker, I am a Jedi Knight. My name is Anakin Skywalker, I am a Jedi—_

"I couldn't have," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"She was alive, I felt it," he exclaimed, coughing. He had made sure she was alive. How was she dead when he had done everything in his power to prevent that from happening?

Sidious was hiding something. It shouldn't have surprised him, but all Anakin could feel was anger. Sidious was hiding something, and it had to do with Padmé's death. He had to contact Yoda. He needed answers. But not now, as right now, he was wearing nothing but a hospital gown and siting next to the most powerful man in the galaxy.

He was in no position to do anything except wait. He needed patience, time.

He was going to have to get a lot better at being patient.

Sidious left him soon after that, telling him to get dressed and then to go to the bridge.

Anakin sighed with a solemn resignation, and his anger, bright and burning as it had been, suddenly left him. Nothing would bring Padmé back from the dead, and so instead, a deep weariness began to settle in his bones. When Sidious had told him about her death, he'd felt pain, as if he were drowning in it. However, Obi-Wan's words from what seemed like a lifetime ago stopped him.

 _"All things end,"_ the echo of Obi-Wan's voice reminded him. _"There is no more we can do to prevent death than we can to alter the Force's will. Don't think of it as an end, Anakin. The dead are going home."_

He hadn't fallen into the deathly grasp of the Dark Side. He couldn't afford to. And yet, he had to make Sidious believe that he had, so he took the dark energy brewing around him and cloaked his mind with it. He had never thought that he would ever use the Dark Side as a shield, but here he was. Underneath it all, Anakin's presence was as bright as a thousand suns, but muted due to the endless pain that he knew he would be subjected to over the years to prevent his position from being known.

He stood, carefully. His chest, back, and side were wrapped in bandages, although it didn't hurt to breathe anymore. His leg was covered in a bandage as well, and Anakin could feel the soothing cool of bacta beneath it. He winced when he stood up, his leg almost collapsing beneath him. His Jedi robes were nowhere to be seen, but his lightsaber was lying atop a small pile of clothing in the corner of the room. There was lots of black, and there was a new gauntlet for his right hand. He slipped all of it on, securing the dark cloak over his shoulders and pulling up the hood.

Before he left, Anakin Skywalker looked at himself in the mirror.

 _My name is Anakin Skywalker. I am a Jedi Knight. I'm pretending to be Darth Vader. I'm supposed to be a Sith Lord. My wife is dead, my child is dead, my brother thinks I've betrayed him. I am a spy for the not-yet-formed Rebel Alliance. I am the Chosen One. I will restore peace to the galaxy, or I will die trying. My name is Anakin Skywalker. I am a Jedi Knight._

Darth Vader set off to face the music.

* * *

Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Bail sat in an empty conference room.

"Separate the children, we must," Yoda concluded. Bail raised his head, and Obi-Wan continued to stroke his beard thoughtfully.

"My wife and I can take the girl," Bail said, looking to Master Yoda. "We have always wanted a daughter. She will be safe, and loved, with us."

Yoda nodded. Obi-Wan looked up to meet the old Jedi Master's gaze.

"Take the boy to Tatooine, to his family, Obi-Wan will," said Yoda pointedly. "Safe there, he will be."

Obi-Wan looked down, but nodded.

"And you, Master Yoda?" He asked.

"To Alderaan, I will go. Help with the Rebel Alliance, I can. Watch over Leia, I must," the small alien replied. "Hide in the mountains, I will. Steeped in the Force, the peaceful planet is."

"You can come with us, on my ship," said Bail. "You will be be able to fly through undetected that way."

Yoda nodded.

"Settled it is, then," he finished. "Dark times ahead, I sense. But hope, not lost, it is."

* * *

Obi-Wan settled into silence as his small ship entered hyperspace. The ship itself was barely larger than a starfighter, a small shuttle, perhaps it could be called. An old model, worn, but that didn't matter. It was inconspicuous. No one would think it out of the ordinary, and that was the only thing that mattered.

The small child cradled in Obi-Wan's arms squirmed in his sleep, the tiny features scrunching into a frown.

"Shhhh," whispered Obi-Wan, sending waves of warmth through the Force. "It'll be okay, little one."

It was said more for his own sake than the baby's.

Obi-Wan was haunted. The look in Anakin's eyes as he swung his lightsaber at Obi-Wan. It was grief, torture, pain. It was rage, but behind it, purpose, and somewhere, deep in Anakin's unforgiving gaze there had been panic, just for a fleeting second, when Obi-Wan had almost killed him mid-jump.

Obi-Wan was sure he would have missed it had he not known Anakin so well. Hell, he had practically raised the boy. There was no one in the universe who knew him better than Obi-Wan Kenobi.

At least, Obi-Wan had thought so. Now, however, he was unsure. How could Anakin do that? How could he throw away years upon years of training as a Jedi and his family and his friendship? Hadn't Anakin known how much Obi-Wan loved him? Hadn't he realized how big of an impact he'd had on Obi-Wan's life? How could he have become the very thing that he had tried his hardest to avoid becoming?

 _Hadn't he known how much Obi-Wan loved him?_

Obi-Wan knew that Anakin's screams would forever be seared into his memory. The raw agony he'd felt emanating from his best friend, his brother, was enough to break Obi-Wan's heart a thousand times over. When Anakin had started burning and Obi-Wan turned away, a part of him fell and burned with the only person he cared about more than life itself.

Luke Skywalker stirred, and Obi-Wan gazed upon the infant.

Maybe there was hope for the galaxy yet.

* * *

Darth Vader stood on the bridge of a Star Destroyer. The slightly-shorter form of the now-Emperor Palpatine stood at his side.

A skeleton of a machine floated in space in front of them.

"I have a gift for you," Palpatine said, turning to Anakin. "Come here, my apprentice."

Anakin followed Palpatine as he was lead away from the bridge and into back into his quarters, where there lay a shiny armour, dark robes with traces of leather, and the centrepiece, a large box.

"Your attire now is only temporary," Sidious explained. "These robes you wear now are not fit for second-in-command of the Empire. These, you will find to be a bit more... Imperial."

Anakin stood, his face expressionless, but his mind was a whirlwind, waiting with bated breath for the other man _(not man, monster)_ to continue.

"And this," Sidious gestured to the box, "will become a symbol of fear to all those who dare appose us. Come, Vader, take a look."

Anakin approached, slowly, his blood turning to lead in his veins, his heart sinking even lower as he came closer to the box (which was roughly the size of a human head, how had he not noticed?) and when he opened it... A dark mask stared back. Soulless black eyes, black metal polished to a shine, a helmet set on top. There were grates where a mouth should have been.

Anakin was paralyzed.

"You will wear it at all times in public," Palpatine continued, but Anakin wasn't listening, not any more. His heart pounded in his ears as the mask stared back at him.

Suddenly, he couldn't breathe.

And in that horrifying moment, he realized just how far he had to go, what sacrifices he had to make, for the galaxy, the future of the Jedi, the Republic. The cost that he had to give, for peace.

 _My name is Anakin Skywalker. I am a Jedi Knight._

* * *

notes:

1\. About Alderaan; I know that there are a bunch of different theories as to why Leia's Force-sensitivity isn't sensed by the Empire, but my take in this verse is that Alderaan (like Dagobah in canon) is a planet that's immersed in the Force enough that Leia's Force-presence can be hidden (also Yoda's, hence the reason I'm putting him there).

2\. For my dedicated _Only Time Will Tell_ readers: I'm still working on it! There is a (pretty severe) lack of new chapters, I know, but I am working on revamping the old ones first, so bear with me. While I will update the story on here in due time, there is a more updated version up on my AO3 for those that are interested.

3\. I've got quite a bit planned for this verse, so stay tuned! If you've got any questions or comments, you can always leave a comment on here and/or reach out to me via my tumblr (vortexoftime). For more on this verse, there's a tag on my tumblr as well.

4\. Dedicated to Carrie Frances Fisher. May the Force be with you, always.


	2. lost to the wind

LOST TO THE WIND

In which Obi-Wan Kenobi tries desperately to pretend that everything is going to be alright, and Anakin Skywalker tries not to fall apart. They both soon realize that their efforts are futile.

* * *

notes:

1\. this story jumps forward in time somewhat/doesn't happen right after the events of the previous chapter.  
2\. there will likely be more chapters added before this one at another point in time.  
3\. the reason for that is that the story is told more through a series of long vignettes rather than chapter by chapter.

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood beside Anakin. The younger man was smiling as he gazed upon the younglings practicing their lightsaber katas beneath the balcony the two of them were standing on. Obi-Wan hummed, content, as a small twi'lek girl overstepped and stumbled. Anakin's eyes twinkled when he nodded his approval at the little girl's quick recovery.

"Are you spying for a padawan, former padawan mine?" Obi-Wan asked teasingly, filing away Anakin's indignant huff to remember later.

"Ahsoka's just been knighted, oh former master mine," Anakin replied, imitating Obi-Wan's teasing tone. "I think I'll take some time for myself before committing to another little menace."

"Mmhm," Obi-Wan hummed contentedly, rolling his eyes. "Our padawan was not a menace. If anyone was a menace during their apprenticeship, it was you."

Anakin huffed again and shook his head at Obi-Wan before patting his shoulder gently. The Force thrummed with an immeasurable light when Obi-Wan smiled in return.

"You give me too much credit, old man," Anakin said, his voice adding perfectly to their friendly camaraderie. "I had to learn my ways from someone."

And then, Obi-Wan really did laugh. Through squinting eyes, he could see Anakin desperately trying to keep himself from laughing also.

"Come now, Anakin," Obi-Wan started once he composed himself. "Let's take a walk."

"Whatever you want, Obi-Wan," Anakin responded lightly, easily falling into step beside Obi-Wan as he began walking away from the balcony.

The halls of the Temple were silent, much like they should be at this time of day. Anakin and Obi-Wan made their way through the hallways with gentle commentary, as they were accustomed to. Partway through, Anakin began to babble about the new speeder model that the Jedi had recently obtained ("Thankfully, Master Windu did take my advice and didn't order the other model, which was absolute poodoo, for the record."), and Obi-Wan simply listened, a gentle smile upon his lips as he watched Anakin talk passionately about mechanics. He put a word in here and there, and every time Anakin looked down on him with that warm grin of his, Obi-Wan wished that he could live in the moment forever.

A group of senior Padawans ahead bowed their heads slightly in respect as they walked past, their arms full of data pads.

"Master Nu's got their hands full, it seems," Anakin said amiably, to which Obi-Wan grinned.

"Remember how you loved doing projects for Master Nu?" Obi-Wan asked, looking up at the younger man as he laughed. Something strange tugged at Obi-Wan's heart, but he ignored it and simply focused on Anakin and this moment, and the way the light of the sun bounced off Anakin's golden curls and made his face seem like it was glowing.

They reached the Room of a Thousand Fountains then, the door quietly opening for them. Anakin's eyes lit up, and Obi-Wan was thrown back in time to when Anakin first entered this room, the same fascinated glint in his eyes. As they walked in further, the Force shone, and when Anakin looked down at him again, he was ethereal, both in body and in spirit, so bright that Obi-Wan almost had to look away as not to be blinded by the pure light that surrounded Anakin, protected him like a shield against darkness.

He closed his eyes, just for a moment, to savour the feeling. When he opened them, Anakin was looking up at the fountains, a gentle smile splayed across his features. The setting sun bore down upon them, basking the room in a soft, warm glow.

Anakin turned to look further left, his back now facing Obi-Wan. The light cascading from his presence in the Force seemed so pure and so Anakinin that moment that Obi-Wan wanted to take it somewhere far away and protect it with his very being, because this was Anakin and he'd do anything for him and he was the only person that mattered.

Anakin turned back then, slowly, the soft, gentle smile still upon his lips.

"You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you," Obi-Wan heard himself say. "I have taught you everything I know, and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be."

"You give yourself too little credit, old friend," Anakin replied, his voice warm and kind and home. "You are the model Jedi, Obi-Wan. Everything I am, it is thanks to you."

For a beat, it was still, the soft light upon Anakin's hair, the gentle sound of the fountains, and then, he wrapped his arms around Anakin, Anakin's own hands resting on Obi-Wan's back. He could feel Anakin's face pressed against his neck, those soft golden curls right there within arms' reach. And the Force, oh, the Force was singing. Obi-Wan made sure to sear the moment into his heart and mind so that he would never, ever forget the beautiful, euphoric feeling.

They stayed like that for a while, neither of them speaking, simply holding each other because Force, they made it, they were alive and they were together and they were hap—

The room went red. The sun had set. The gentle light from a moment ago turned from a soft gold to a deep crimson, submerging the room in darkness. Anakin pulled back, his face turned down, and Obi-Wan could have sworn the ground was trembling. Anakin fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands in front of Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan, startled, knelt down beside the other man.

"Anakin?" He asked worriedly. "Anakin, are you alright?"

He placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder, only to have it hit away. The temperature of the room dropped several degrees.

"It's all your fault, Obi-Wan," said Anakin, his words as cold as ice. The light was fully gone now, the darkness right there to take its place. Obi-Wan felt as if he were suffocating. The trembling of the ground that he'd sworn he had been feeling increased tenfold. He was tossed to the ground as it began to shake in earnest, a crack suddenly opening up between himself and Anakin.

"Anakin!" He shouted, reaching out for the other man as the crack between them widened. The fountains shone red and suddenly Obi-Wan realized that the water flowing out of them wasn't really water. It was lava, hot and red and burning, the acrid smoke suddenly making its way into his lungs, and Obi-Wan froze in horror as Anakin finally raised his head. His eyes were the opposite of what they should have been. Instead of a bright, clear blue, they glowed a sickly yellow, reflecting orange from the light of the lava, spitting sparks below them, burning hot and angry.

"You couldn't protect me," Anakin seethed from across the crevice as the lava flowed closer. "I hate you!"

And then Obi-Wan watched in dazed horror as Anakin's robes lit up, the lava finally reaching him. He screamed, loud and frightened and in pain, and Obi-Wan's heart wrenched as hot ash blurred his vision and he tried to stand but couldn't, frozen in place as Anakin was swallowed whole by the fire, his Sith yellow eyes boring into Obi-Wan's very soul as he tried to say something, anything—

Obi-Wan jolted awake, his face slightly wet with salty tears. His chest heaved as he wildly tried to calm his erratic breathing.

As his breaths slowed, he took his face in his hands and let out a sob. The tears continued to fall as Obi-Wan cried, alone amidst the dark of the Tatooine night.

He wasn't okay. He wanted Anakin back. If he could have anything in the whole galaxy, Anakin would be the one thing he would wish for. Not the Jedi Order, not peace, not safety. Just Anakin, as he had been before everything fell apart.

He sobbed again as he tried to hold on to the memory of Anakin's golden curls and the way his eyes shone when he looked at Obi-Wan. He tried as hard he could to remember how soft Anakin's hands had been, once, before the war, soft and smooth and not stained by blood and engine grease. He tried to recall the friendly teasing, the seemingly-endless smiles and grins and laughter and happiness—

And he cried. Cried and cried and cried, for he was alone and Anakin was gone and he was never coming back. He tried to forget Anakin's sickly yellow eyes as they bore down on him, his own deathly grip on his lightsaber when they fought, the taste of ash in his mouth as Anakin started screaming on the bank— He couldn't. Try as hard as he might, he could never forget, and it would haunt him for the rest of his days. He looked back upon it all now, and wished with his entire being that he'd told Anakin that he loved him. Would it have made a difference? Even if it hadn't, even if everything would've turned out the same, that was still one of Obi-Wan's biggest regrets. Oh Force, why hadn't he told Anakin that he loved him?

Obi-Wan sat there, his face in his hands, tears falling, wishing for a man who was set on a path worse than death, until the twin suns of Tatooine rose and he was reminded of his mission.

Anakin's son.

In that moment, he promised himself that if he ever had the chance, he would save Anakin, even if it were the last thing he ever did. And so, as the light of Tatooine's suns made their way into Obi-Wan's small hut, he held the fragments of Anakin close and tried to ward the darkness away.

* * *

"What is thy bidding, my Master?"

The hologram of Sidious nodded under his hood, and Anakin grit his teeth underneath his helmet. The darkness around him grew, but Anakin sheltered the light inside of him, pulling the Force to guard his mind and strengthening his shields.

"You are to go to Ryloth, and you are to show them that the Empire shows no mercy," said Sidious slowly, and Anakin could feel the Sith's eyes piercing his helmet. "Do you understand, Lord Vader? I want them decimated."

"It will be done, my Master," replied Vader. Anakin tried not let his vehemence against the order show in his voice. It wouldn't, of course, for the vocoder in the helmet did all that for him.

"Good, good," nodded Sidious. "You are to contact me when you are finished. I have another assignment for you."

"Yes, my Master," replied Vader.

The hologram shut off, and Anakin breathed. In, out, in, out. It had been a year since he'd been let out of the medical centre for the first time, a year since he'd donned the helmet. It had been a few months since he'd contacted Yoda. It was soon time to contact him again.

Anakin rose after a few moments and left the room, his cape billowing behind him as he forced his feet to move, forced his lungs to take in air. It wasn't as if this was the first time that he was commanded to bombard a planet, no. Ryloth, however, was a special case. It was the first planet that he had helped before, during the Clone Wars. Going there to ruin it would be like undoing all the work that he'd done to protect it. The people of Ryloth had always respected the Jedi. They weren't going to know that it was him, of course. They would think that it was Darth Vader wreaking havoc on their land, not Anakin Skywalker, for in their eyes, Anakin Skywalker had been dead for years now.

But Anakin was alive, and he couldn't help but wonder what the people that he'd fought with would think if they knew that it was Anakin Skywalker underneath that mask. What Obi-Wan would think of him? his traitorous mind asked. And then, he was suffocating. He tried to prevent himself from running back to his quarters and slowed his already-alarming pace. My name is Anakin Skywalker, I am a Jedi Knight, My name is Anakin Skywalker, I am a Jedi Knight.

Once he had made it back to his quarters, however, his mask of pretence fell and Anakin shoved off the helmet, suddenly leaning over and taking in big gulps of air. His lungs burned, and his heart was wrapped in an ice-cold vice.

I want them decimated, Sidious had said. Anakin already had so much blood on his hands. So much. How could he ever be forgiven? He'd killed so many people, torn apart so many families. He was a monster. He didn't deserve Obi-Wan. He'd failed. Failed, failed, failed.

But this was his mission, wasn't it? To pretend that he was a Sith Lord, to pretend that this was him so that Sidious wouldn't suspect a thing. Master Yoda had told him that. He and Mace had made it very clear.

The line of pretence was very thin, Anakin had quickly realized, and sometimes, very late at night, particularly after a gruelling battle, Anakin was afraid that he didn't know where Anakin ended and Vader began.

Yet, without him, the Jedi Order would be dead. All those younglings, all those Padawans and Knights, would be dead.

Sidious would have won had Anakin fallen, Anakin knew. So, he could never regret doing the right thing. Not when the fate of the entire galaxy was at stake.

However, when it was dark and the rest of the ship was fast asleep, he only wished that he had told Obi-Wan that he loved him. Just once, and it would have been enough.

He remembered now, when he felt Obi-Wan sever their bond. He knew, in some way, that it was coming. Obi-Wan hated him, and rightly so. For Obi-Wan, he had destroyed everything.

Anakin had been on the bridge when a sudden headache overcame him. He'd had to excuse himself and had barely managed to make it back to his quarters without falling over, but when the door slid shut, though, Anakin had keeled, his breaths coming harsh and fast, and while he couldn't immediately pinpoint what the problem was, when he looked into his own mind, he'd felt it a thousandfold. That bond, the last thing that Anakin had still, millions upon millions of strands of golden light connecting him to Obi-Wan, slowly being snipped away.

And the pain, the pain had been unimaginable. It was like hundreds of knives piercing his skull, a million shadows eating away at his very soul, those tiny strands of golden light falling and dimming around him. The panic had kicked in then, and Anakin had tried desperately to pick up those little strands, connect them somehow, but Obi-Wan had been blocking him out with shields of durasteel, and there was a feeling of endless despair when he had realized that there was nothing he could do but kneel there in his own mind and hold his head in his hands and scream as he watched the strands fall around him, the pieces of his heart floating just above reach, hundreds of memories assaulting his mind's eye.

In reality, Anakin had shed the mask and helmet and left them lying as far as they could be, while he pushed himself into a corner and attempted to become as small as physically possible, torrents of tears making their way down his face as he sobbed and pulled at his hair to try and dull the pain with no success. His head was pounding, the beautiful golden strands falling dark at his feet. He gathered them up in his hands, his tears falling, the Force in mourning around him.

In the present, Anakin lay in his bed, wide awake, knowing that they would soon reach Ryloth. He looked upon the tattered remains of his and Obi-Wan's bond and caressed them gently, as if his will alone would bring it back to what it used to be, but he knew, it was futile, for the damage had been done long ago.

He wished again that he'd told Obi-Wan he loved him.

Hours later, Darth Vader stood at the helm of a Star Destroyer, his arms clasped behind his back as he watched the small vessels fly towards the planet surface, the contents deadly.

Anakin Skywalker was still as stone, frozen. It was inevitable, he knew. There was only so much time until worlds began to rebel, much like in the Clone Wars, when the Separatists began seizing planets by force.

Officers walked behind him carrying datapads with various instructions. The techs sat in their seats monitoring the descent of the shuttles. And still, Anakin stood still. He could feel the cold seeping into his heart, the weight of what had to be done settling into his bones. An officer approached Vader.

"The ships are in position, my lord," he stated calmly. Anakin didn't feel anything.

"Fire at will," Vader said.

And so, the surface of Ryloth was lit up with dozens of flames like fireworks, and Anakin felt nothing. He couldn't. He forced himself to watch, forced the cold to grip his heart so that he wouldn't feel the pain of the people on the ground, the shockwaves in the Force. He closed himself off so that he would stay sane. Vader looked forward.

And then, it was over. The world was muted, blurred, as he turned and walked from the bridge. Anakin could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage, every step and every breath, and all of it growing more difficult by the second. He tried as hard as he could to prevent himself from swaying as he walked, ignored the urge to brace himself against a wall in front of the men who served him, so he marched ahead through the halls, his head held high, his turmoil only his own.

But when the door to his quarters closed behind him, his carefully-built disguise of strength finally shattered and he sagged against the wall and flung the mask away from him. Slowly, his body slid to the ground and he began to shake, his hands gripping his head as he heaved, silent sobs wracking his body.

Millions dead on Ryloth, and it was his doing. It had been his words that had sealed the fate of the people of the planet below. It was all his fault.

He held his face in his hands as the after-shocks in the Force crashed against his mind, and it were in moments like these when Anakin wished that everything could just stop and he could finally have at least a semblance of peace.

It didn't stop, however, and Anakin's pain only grew. Somewhere deep in his mind, he wished that Obi-Wan were here.


	3. of stars and roses

**OF STARS AND ROSES**

In which a young Leia Organa wanders the Alderaanian gardens past nightfall and meets a strange man. She doesn't know why, but he seems oddly familiar.

* * *

Leia Organa was nine years old, and she should have been asleep by now.

Instead, she was wide awake, listening to the sounds of the night through her window, and if anyone was walking outside her room. Seemingly satisfied, she stood, and when she pushed away her blanket, it was evident that she was in fact not planning on going to bed at all.

Clad in a pair dark-coloured pants and an equally dark-coloured tunic, Leia grabbed a light jacket and crept to the windowsill. The summery winds from the mountains blew her hair out of her face as she breathed in the sweet smells from the gardens below. Leia took a hair ribbon out of her pocket and did her long hair into a ponytail before carefully getting up onto the sill.

She took her usual route, climbing down the uneven bricks and using the thick vines for support as she lowered herself into the gardens. Once she was sure that she had reached past the half-way point of the wall, Leia looked down and gauged the distance between herself and the ground. Seeing as it was only a few metres and not half the wall, she let go of the vines and jumped, reaching for the Force to cushion her fall.

She tumbled through the air for a breathless few seconds before her feet softly touched the ground and she was ready to take off.

The gardens were always her favourite. Sneaking at night to look at all the flowers and gaze upon the stars was the one thing she looked forward to. Sure, she had everything, sure, she was a princess, but Leia was only nine, and at some point it was all too much.

She wanted to be free.

Running in the gardens in the middle of the night with nobody around, no one to listen to, no one to tell her what she could and couldn't do, nothing but the stars above her, that, to Leia, was freedom. It was where she could let her thoughts run rampant and ask questions to which no one would give the answer to.

Who her father was, for instance. She knew her mother had been a queen, and a senator, but her father, her birth father, had always been a mystery. She imagined that he would have been kind, with a special smile he would've reserved just for her. She imagined that the would have been tall, powerful. She liked to think that he would have loved mechanics, maybe even had a bionic hand. That would've been so cool, Leia thought. But, she still wanted to know more. Her own theories and daydreams could only suffice for so long.

She ran through the gardens, the wind in her hair, and she laughed, for it was only her and the stars and the flowers and nothing else. She was free.

Leia thought of the Imperial convoy that had arrived that day. There were stormtroopers, lots of them. And the man that had greeted her father, he'd been the strangest of all. She'd seen him on the Holonet before, but only glimpses, for whenever her parents saw him on the screen they'd turn it off. Leia never knew why. She knew his name, though. Darth Vader. She'd heard whispers about him from the maids. Some said he was a machine rather than a man underneath that mask. Some said he was an alien, and that he wore the mask to conceal it because what a scandal it would be if the Emperor's right hand man wasn't human. Others, whom were older, old enough to have been around for the Clone Wars, said that he was a Fallen Jedi. And while Leia was barely older than a youngling, she knew that they never lived long, for she'd heard space-pirates and weary travellers talk about those little few in hushed tones and frightened voices whenever she snuck off into town past nightfall, and she knew now, the past was a dangerous thing.

She slowed as she neared the fountains, taking in the sound of the water cascading over the beautifully crafted metal, standing tall against the sky. Leia looked up, her eyes widening slightly in a never-ceasing awe as she took in the heavens above her.

She longed for the stars.

Being a princess was great and all, but she never got one moment to herself. She was constantly surrounded by maids and tutors and people, and she was sick of it. Sometimes, Leia wished that she was just another girl on some faraway planet with regular people and a father and mother who weren't royalty. She wanted to know her real parents. Her father, especially. She wished she knew his name, at least. Her name. She lived well, she couldn't deny that. She had loving parents and everything that she had ever wanted. She had pretty dolls, and she had nice gowns to go out in. She had people who prepared her food and a security detail that could rival a police force in size. She had everything, and at the same time, she had nothing.

She didn't even know her real name.

And suddenly, she was running from the fountains. She didn't want to hear the trickle of water hit the golden statues, she didn't want to be reminded that she was the Princess of Alderaan, and she didn't even know her own name.

She didn't know where she was running to. Her feet swept her over path upon path, and she let them. Leia ran for what seemed like forever (in reality, it wasn't that long), her feet moving methodically, going anywhere but back to the palace.

When she finally looked up and cared to notice her surroundings, she realized that she had gone further than she had meant to. The night was completely still. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, her breaths heavy in her lungs, and Force, she was only nine years old. Leia stood completely still, trying desperately to calm her breathing. She tried to remember what Master Yoda had told her the last time he had visited.

She was rational. She could do this. Leia reached out to the Force, letting the invisible tendrils of bright energy envelop her mind. She reached out again, this time strengthening her shields. Master Yoda had always said to make sure that her mental shields were up. Once she had calmed down her erratic breathing, Leia began to look around. However, she quickly realized that she had no idea where she was. She could see the palace, but she didn't know which path would take her back to the spot underneath her window, and while she might have recognized the spot she stood in when the sun was shining, hard as she tried she couldn't, not now, for it was night, so the entire area was awash in shades of black and grey. She tried reaching out with the Force again, but to no avail. The bright energy that was so easy to grasp just a moment ago shied away from her reach, muted and hazy.

She sighed, rolling her eyes, and set off down a path, blind, just hoping that it would get her back to the palace. She walked on and on, never ceasing, yet her surroundings didn't get any more familiar. Some time later Leia stopped at a crossroads. She looked around once more, and then, suddenly, the Force made itself known again and told her; left, left, left.

One of her first lessons with Master Yoda was that she should listen to the Force, follow her instincts, and so, Leia went left.

She walked down the path in silence, a slight breeze whispering to her as it gently pushed her hair. Had she looked up, she would've sworn that the stars shone brighter.

However, she didn't look up, not pausing as she walked. Soon, she reached a clearing; in the centre of which was a circular bed of roses in all colours. Red, white, pink, violet, dark now, but Leia knew that under the light of the sun they would have been radiant. On the other side of the flower bed, there was a railing, and beyond that, the mountains of Alderaan.

A man stood at the edge of the small area.

Leia crept towards him, silent. His hair was to his shoulders in length, dark blonde, and slightly wavy, fluttering in the breeze. He wore a dark cloak, and beneath that, a slightly-lighter tunic. One of his hands was covered by a black glove.

He hadn't noticed her yet.

She sidled up beside him, looking to the mountains.

"Lovely night for stargazing," she said.

The man jumped up, startled, shaking his head as if clearing it from a reverie. He looked at her and met her eyes, and she gasped, for they were the clearest, brightest blue that she had ever seen.

"Yes," he said quietly, nodding, and Leia was surprised at how soft his voice was. "It is a good night for stargazing."

"I want to go up there one day," she said, looking up at the sky. "I want to see them all."

The man looked up to the sky with her, his eyes filling with a sudden sadness. The night seemed to still as he spoke.

"I once thought as you do," he said, his expression filled with an indescribable melancholy. "But now, I've realized that the stars are more trouble than they're worth."

Leia frowned up at him.

"And why's that?" She questioned.

The man's mouth twitched slightly.

"They can never get along," he replied, and suddenly Leia felt the dark veil of sorrow and pain that shrouded the man in front of her like a cloak.

"Who are you?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. He looked down and met her eyes, as if nobody had ever asked him that. He looked thoughtful, for a moment.

"My name is Ani," he said. He searched her features with his eyes, and frowned slightly.

"And who might you be?" He said, pausing. "Little girls don't usually sneak around royal gardens at night."

"I'm Leia," she responded. "Leia Organa."

He blinked. Once, twice.

"Leia," he whispered, as if tasting the word. "That's a very pretty name."

"Thank you," she replied. "It means beloved, on Alderaan, but I don't think it's an Alderaanian name."

"Oh?" said the man, Ani, slightly raising an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"A feeling," she said, scrunching her eyebrows. The man looked wistful.

"It's an old name," he said, his voice suddenly even quieter than before. "Once, long ago, I was going to give that name to my daughter."

"What happened?" Leia asked, looking up at the tall man's face. She only now realized that there was a thin, white scar that ran from above his eyebrow to his cheekbone. He looked out across the mountains, and Leia could almost swear that his eyes misted over with unshed tears.

"She died," he replied. "My wife. She died, and I didn't even get to say goodbye."

"I'm sorry," Leia said reverently.

"It's all in the past now, little one," Ani told her. "There's nothing to be done."

He closed his eyes momentarily, and suddenly Leia wrapped her arms around him. He jerked a bit, surprised, but when he saw her hugging him, a semblance of a smile graced his features and he awkwardly hugged her back. She didn't know why she hugged him, but it felt instinctive, right. He was someone whom she had only met moments ago, but somehow she felt as if she'd known him her entire life.

"You don't smile often," she remarked as she pulled away. "You should do it more. It suits you."

He turned away, his warm presence filled with something that Leia couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Perhaps," he said, looking up to the stars once more. Leia followed his gaze.

"What was she like?" She asked, looking back at Ani. "Your wife? What was she like?"

He looked down at her, his hair casting a dark shadow across his face.

"She was breathtakingly beautiful, for one," Ani began, looking back to the sky, his eyes wistful again. "She was kind, and she had this dazzling smile that could instantaneously light up a room. She was gentle, and she was the only woman whom I had ever loved."

Leia was entranced. The corners of Ani's lips twitched up.

"What was her name?"

"Her name was Padmé."

"She sounds wonderful," Leia replied, her eyes tracing constellations. She heard Ani sigh beside her.

"She was," he agreed, his voice reverent and tinged with sadness.

As she watched the sky, Leia leaned against Ani's warm torso. After a few minutes of simply standing and looking at the stars, twinkling in the heavens above, Ani took off his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you," she murmured, suddenly tired. He smiled at her, and she thought; smiles really do suit him, and soon, she was fast asleep, standing there with Ani's arm around her shoulders and his soft cloak enveloping her legs.

When she woke up, it was already the next morning, the sun shining brightly through her window, the curtains fluttering in the morning breeze. She wore her pants and tunic from the night before, and she could see her jacket carefully slung over the back of her desk chair.

Ani and his cloak were nowhere to be found, but a single rose lay on her bedside table. There was a small flimsiplast attached to it.

Leia crawled over to the nightstand and carefully pried the small flimsi from the stem of the rose.

For Leia, it read. The mighty one.

Leia smiled and clutched the flimsiplast tightly in her small hand, looking out to the mountains that could be seen from her window.

It truly had been a lovely night for stargazing.

The next night, Leia was ready. She waited until she couldn't hear the footsteps her handmaidens in the hallway outside, and then she got up and went to the window. She grabbed her jacket and a hair ribbon and climbed onto the windowsill. Her hands and feet moved with an elegant expertise, grabbing the bricks and the vines that made up the palace wall. Soon, she was on the ground.

Wasting no time, she began to jog in the direction of the fountains and towards the rose garden. The moon shine brightly above her, and she could hear the sounds of various insects in the bushes. The stars were bright, but Leia paid them no mind.

She sped up once she neared the fountains. She smiled as the wind ruffled her hair, running faster and faster and faster… and then she was there, at the opening that lead to the roses.

She felt his presence before she saw him. It was warm, to her, like before, but guarded. He stood in the same place, facing the mountains. Leia walked to stand beside him.

"Thank you for the rose," she said. Ani didn't jump this time, but his head whipped down to look at her. Once he saw her, however, his face relaxed.

"Oh," he replied simply. "Leia."

His voice was soft, like the night before, but it was also a bit hoarse, as if he'd been straining it not long ago. The dark veil around him consisted of slightly more pain, but what from, Leia didn't know.

"Are you okay?" She asked, looking up at him. He didn't answer, just stared at her, a little bit confused.

His next words broke Leia's heart.

"I can't remember the last time someone asked me that."

She was silent, and then, much like the night before, she wrapped her slender arms around his torso. She didn't know what had possessed her to hug him, or even to trust him, but something did, so she had. Like the night before, the action wasn't really driven by thought, but by instinct.

"I'm sorry," Leia said, her voice sounding muffled from Ani's cloak.

"It's alright," he whispered, slowly hugging her back. His arms enveloped her fully, and Leia felt at peace.

She let him go after a few long moments and stepped back.

"Really, though, are you alright?"

He didn't reply for a long moment, and Leia began to think that he wouldn't reply at all. But then, he turned his head to the sky, the scar on his face glistening stark white against his already slightly-pale skin.

"No," he answered. He turned back to her then, and she saw his eyes, the brightest blue in the galaxy, and his face, kind. And suddenly, in a flash that she wasn't entirely sure was real, she saw him, but it wasn't Ani. This man's face was cold, and yet, it was as if he was a wildfire, and his blue eyes were icy, barely keeping in an unrelenting rage, but as soon as she saw him he vanished and Ani was there, with his kind features and warm presence and haunted blue eyes, and then Leia felt herself shaking, unable to get rid of the feeling that the sudden flash was not just something that her mind had made up but a telling.

And then Ani was kneeling down and his arms were around her and her head was buried in his chest and she could hear his heartbeat and his ragged breaths and she could feel his warm presence, tainted by his pain and sorrow.

"Tell me about your wife," she said, looking up at him. For a moment he smiled, and then nodded.

"Well," he began, his smile lighting up his features, "you already know her name, and that she was beautiful, but she also had a heart of gold. She helped people in need and always stood up for what she believed in. She was stubborn, at times, but brave. She would find a way to solve problems without fighting, a compromise. She was a burning fire in the galaxy, and she was everything to me."

He stopped then, closed his eyes.

"She sounds like she was an amazing person," remarked Leia, much like the previous night, looking up at Ani with a small smile. He gazed down at her, his dark blonde hair moving gently with the wind, the corners of his lips twitching slightly upwards.

"She truly was," he replied, his voice suddenly soft again. Leia looked up at the stars.

"How many of them have you seen?" She asked him inquisitively.

"Too many to count," he said, his eyes, so bright a moment ago, slightly dimmer now. "There are so many worlds out there, planets with lush forests, planets covered in dark swamps and marshes, planets that are completely frozen over, or completely engulfed by sand. There are even some worlds that have two suns."

"It sounds magical," said Leia, entranced.

"It's was, for a time," Ani said, his face once again going sad. He turned away, and under his breath he muttered, "then the war started, and everything went to hell."

Leia was sure she wasn't supposed to hear that, but she had.

"You fought in a war?" She questioned.

"I—yes," Ani said, a bit uncertain at first, but then his voice evened out. Leia watched his expression with slight awe and widened eyes.

"Can you maybe tell me about it?" She asked, hopeful, but then continued, her voice nervous, "I know… if you don't want to—"

"No, it's okay," Ani said, gently. "I was a general. So was… my best friend. My sister, too, was a commander. We were quite the team."

Ani shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

"What were their names?" Leia asked.

"My best friend's name was Ben," Ani said, his voice a little more subdued, but amused nonetheless. "And my sister, well, more daughter, really, she was called Snips."

"Some of the things Snips and I pulled off, Ben was sure I was going to get us killed," Ani started, this time letting out a small laugh, the scar on his cheek slightly wrinkling as he did. "This one time, I crashed an entire cruiser into an enemy ship. Of course, everyone was evacuated first, well, when I say everyone, I mean everyone save me. I had to pilot it, you see…"

He trailed off then, still smiling slightly.

"That was such a fun report to give," he said sarcastically, letting out an amused huff. "Ben probably wanted to hit me with something hard after that. No, scratch that, he did want to hit me after that. He was most likely upset that I got out alive without his help so he couldn't add a tally to the number of times he'd saved my skin. It ended up being a bit of a competition. I won, of course. Snips spent most of her time laughing at us."

He looked at Leia, his smile still there, bright and happy. His presence had become more pure then, as if some of the pain had been lifted. He laughed, as if remembering some other silly thing. Leia began to laugh with him, but then paused.

"Wait, you rammed an entire cruiser into another ship?" She exclaimed in awe. "By yourself?"

"Uh," he said, a little sheepishly, raising a hand to rub at his neck. "Yeah. It was supposed to be a diversion, I think."

"That's awesome!" Leia replied. "You must a really good pilot to pull that off!"

"You could say that," Ani continued fondly. "Of course, Ben and Snips always said that getting in a ship with me was suicide."

Leia laughed again along with him, and there, she felt at piece. They were sitting on the ground now, Ani's cloak pooled around them. Leia watched intently as Ani animatedly told her the next story, and the next, with added hand gestures and blaster noises and everything. Leia was entranced. Ani told her about times when he and Ben were caught by pirates, about the time that he first met Snips ("I thought she was ridiculously annoying at first, to be honest, but now, her snippiness is more like a redeeming quality."). Ani was just finishing a story that involved a space battle and lots of things called buzz droids, which he had told her were the most ridiculous and annoying machines ever created, and that he would like to personally escort all of them straight into an incinerator for all the grievances they've caused him.

"What happened to them?" Leia asked, her curiosity once again getting the better of her. "I mean, Ben and Snips? How did you end up all alone?"

Just like that, Ani's smile was wiped off his face, his eyes growing sad.

"I don't know," he said truthfully. "The last time I saw Snips, she was walking away, and Ben, well… I had to make a really hard choice, and I had to leave him. I didn't want to, but… it was very important that I did. It saved a lot of lives. He doesn't—"

Ani stopped abruptly and choked up a little, but his vulnerability lasted only a second and then he was back to being the quiet and reserved Ani from before.

"It's getting late," he said, his voice sounding strangely robotic. "You should be getting back."

"Yes," agreed Leia, frowning a little at how he had cut off. "We probably should."

She turned from the end of the garden and began to head back.

"See you tomorrow," she called to him. He nodded and raised his hand in a mock salute.

And then, with a final glance back at Ani, Leia ran back to the palace. Luckily, she remembered the route back, although she had a sneaking suspicion that the Force had had a hand in that. She climbed back up the wall to her window and undid her hair, placing the ribbon back on the dresser. She slung her jacket over the back of her chair and walked back to her bed, glancing momentarily at the rose that was in the vase on her bedside table. She fell asleep with a blissful smile upon her face.

The next morning, she was awoken early by her handmaidens. She got up blearily, rubbing her eyes of sleep.

"Quick, Princess," said one of her handmaidens. "The Imperial convoy is leaving shortly, and Lord Vader wishes the presence of the entire royal family."

At hearing the handmaiden's words, Leia sat bolt upright.

"All of us?" She questioned, confused.

"Yes, all of you," her handmaiden nodded. "Now, up! We haven't got much time."

Leia's morning was a flurry of excitement and slight fear of what was to come. Her handmaidens dressed her in a beautiful gown and intricately did up her long hair. They lead her to her father's study, where he and her mother were waiting.

Bail and Breha Organa were dressed nothing short of royal. Breha's hair was swept together in a complicated-looking braid, a golden band resting upon her head. She took one of Leia's smaller hands in her own.

"Come now, Leia," said her mother gently. "It's time to see that Lord Vader makes it off Alderaan safely."

She gripped her mother's hand tighter and then they were escorted to the main hangar, where there stood a large shuttle. Stormtroopers and Imperial officers with immaculate uniforms stood at attention in neat rows. The three members of the royal family positioned themselves in front of the ship, and then, they waited. Ten minutes went by, but there was no sign of the Dark Lord. Fifteen, twenty, and Leia could see that the officer at the front of the convoy was getting nervous. Half an hour had gone by at that point, and yet Lord Vader still hadn't shown up. Leia began to feel restless. She fidgeted with her hands and shifted her weight from foot to foot, her eyes glancing around the large hangar.

Where was he?

All of a sudden, the doors to the hangar slid open and Darth Vader walked in. The room's temperature dropped several degrees. He was tall compared to the rest of the occupants of the room. His helmet gleamed in the light from the ceiling, the armour he wore shone, and his lightsaber was at his waist. His robes, like always, were dark. The tension in the room rose.

Darth Vader approached them first.

"My Lord," greeted Bail, bowing his head respectfully. "We wish you safe travels."

"Your hospitality has been appreciated, Organa," replied Vader in his menacing mechanical voice. "However, that would not have helped you had you been found a traitor to the Empire. The Rebel Alliance covers their tracks well, and even though you may not have been aware of the various rebel cells operating on your planet, it would be in your best interest to reign in these pests before they become a problem."

"Of course, my Lord," said Bail quickly. "It will be done."

"Good," Vader stated, his voice still somehow keeping its commanding monotone. "You can expect more visits from the Empire in the near future to help end these little rebellions. Make sure you take care of them yourself until that point, or else we will have to take more extreme measures to ensure the safety and prosperity of our great Empire."

Bail nodded. Breha looked to the floor. Leia looked up to see Darth Vader's mask turned towards her. Their gazes met for a moment, and then he looked to his right and began to walk away from the royal family, his troops falling in line behind him as he marched. Leia's stare followed Darth Vader's retreating form as he boarded his shuttle. As strange as it seemed, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was somewhat familiar, but that couldn't be. Darth Vader was dark and dangerous, a blazing inferno. He razed entire cities to the ground with no mercy. He killed with no remorse.

No, Leia didn't know him at all, but the feeling lingered.

That night, she wanted to ask Ani about Darth Vader. He'd probably heard a lot more than she had, for he did say he'd travelled to many worlds, after all. She snuck out like before; impatiently waited until there were no more sounds from the halls, grabbed her jacket, her hair ribbon, and climbed onto the windowsill. She clambered down with more urgency tonight, but for what reason, she didn't really know. As soon as her feet touched the ground she took off running through the seemingly-endless gardens, past the golden fountains, past the various shrubs and flower beds. In almost no time at all, she had reached the rose garden.

However, Ani's tall form was nowhere in sight, and his warm presence was absent from the air.

"Ani?" She called, in her heart knowing that it was in vain. Ani was gone.

Leia sighed. It had been too good to be true. She was about to turn away, but then something caught her eye. It was a small box, tucked away in the shrubbery that lined the small clearing. She ran to it and pulled it out carefully. There was a flimsiplast attached to the top, and Leia could instantly recognize Ani's handwriting.

To Leia, it read.

I apologize for not looking at the stars with you tonight. Inside you will find something that I would like you to look after while I'm gone. I don't know when we'll meet again, but I know that we will. Thank you for being there, Leia. May the Force be with you.

—Ani

She frowned slightly at the use of the old Jedi saying, but she carefully tucked the flimsi into her jacket nonetheless. Then, she opened the package. Inside was a holo of two men and a young-looking Togruta. The man on the right had a short, neatly-trimmed beard and wore light-coloured robes. His eyes twinkled as he smiled, his hair a little ruffled from a wind that Leia couldn't feel. The Togruta girl in the middle was grinning wildly, her arms thrown over the shoulders of the two men alongside her. The last figure, the man on the left, was clean-shaven, his hair cut to his shoulders and slightly wavy. He wore dark robes, unlike the first man. He looked younger, too. Leia studied his features and gasped as she recognized the scar over the younger man's eyebrow. The man in the holo was Ani, she was sure of it. And if the man was Ani, then the other two would have to be Ben and Snips. Leia drank in the image like it was the most important thing in the world, and it that moment, she realized that it was.

Ani left this for her. Why? She didn't know, but she would look after it as best she could, for she was Leia Organa, and in a world where she was a princess and royalty and anything but normal, Ani had made her feel like a regular girl again, and she was thankful for it.

Once she got back to her room, she took the two flimsiplasts and the holo from Ani and put them all safely into a small drawer before carefully climbing into her bed. Leia lay there for a long time before she fell asleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Ani. He was in pain, she knew, and he had much sorrow in his heart. She wanted to help him. He'd been kind, and he didn't tease her or make her feel awkward. He was a good person.

Wherever you are, Ani, thought Leia, I hope you're alright.

As Leia drifted off to sleep, she found herself hoping that she would see him again.


End file.
